Additional Resources

Press Release
February 1, 2008

National Archives Announces Extended Research Room Hours

Washington, DC…Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein announced
today that the National Archives will restore its evening and weekend hours
in its Washington, DC and College Park, MD, research rooms. Effective the week of April 14, 2008, the extended hours will be 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. Wednesday, Thursday,
and Friday and 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Saturday. Hours on Monday and Tuesday
will continue to be 9 A.M to 5 P.M.

Congress and the President provided a one-time appropriation of $1.3 million
in the National Archives Fiscal Year 2008 budget to restore these hours. The
funds will be used to hire new archival research room staff and to cover the
costs of utilities, maintenance, and security during the extended hours.

“I am very grateful to the Congress and the President for their recognition
of the importance of making our documentary heritage as widely available as
possible. Extending the research room hours goes a long way in helping
us attain this goal. This increase in hours underlines our commitment
to open government,” the Archivist said in making the announcement. “I
would also like to acknowledge the enthusiastic support of our user communities,” he
added.

Research room hours at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC and
at the College Park facility were reduced in October 2006 as a cost-savings
measure. Since then, the National Archives has had extended hours only once
a month—on Thursday and Friday evenings and on Saturdays. Prior
to October 2006, the National Archives extended hours were Tuesday, Thursday
and Friday. The change from Tuesday to Wednesday evening late hours was
implemented to make it more convenient and cost-effective for out-of-town researchers
who travel to the National Archives for research.

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For more information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.